Wolf Creek Enters Receivership, Future Of Rod Whitman Golf Courses Unclear
In a letter sent to Wolf Creek members on October 18, 2022, Ryan Vold announced Wolf Creek, the Rod Whitman facility in Ponoka, Alberta, has fallen into receivership.
Wolf Creek is home to two golf courses, the first opening in 1987. Since then, the facility located on Highway 2 between Calgary and Edmonton has added the Links eighteen, composed of two nine hole loops from the early 1990s and late 2000s. For golf architecture fans, Wolf Creek is Rod Whitman’s first introduction into Canadian golf, and was the inspiration behind the decision for owners Al Prokov and Ben Cowan-Dewar to hire Rod for Blackhawk and Cabot Links, respectively.
Even after 35 years, the Old and Links continue to be among Canada’s best golf courses. According to the Beyond The Contour top 100, Old checks in at 56th in Canada, while the Links cracks the top 50 at 43rd. You can read a detailed review of Wolf Creek Links by clicking this link.
This is a sad day for Canadian golf indeed, and we hope someone with a vision for what Wolf Creek is (and was) comes along to care for it. With only five Rod Whitman designs in Canada—Cabot Links, Sagebrush, Blackhawk, Wolf Creek Links + Old—plus one pending at Revelstoke, it would be a shame to lose two key pieces to Rod Whitman’s architecture career.
As evident in the letter sent to Wolf Creek members, the plan is still for the facility to operate as a golf course in 2023 and beyond, although in these situations, anything can happen and it is not guaranteed. We hope for the sake of such treasured golf courses that is the case.
This is a developing story and will be updated as new information arrives.
